Written by

Sara Agnew

Iowa City Press-Citizen

Possible ‘girls’ haunts in Iowa City

Where should “Girls” character Hannah Horvath hang out in Iowa City? Here’s where you might find her: THE MILL: It’s a hot spot for live music, a place of employment for many workshop students and where she’ll find classmates reading on stage or bellied up to the bar. THE FOXHEAD: It’s been the hangout for workshop students for so long, it’s commonly known as the writers’ bar. Many often walk a few steps west to George’s and find a seat there, too. PRAIRIE LIGHTS BOOKS: It regularly hosts readings, which she’ll undoubtedly attend, and many of the featured authors are workshop grads. It also has a coffee shop upstairs to grab a cup of joe. THE JAVA HOUSE: It will undoubtedly become one of her regular hangouts. Given her experience working at a coffee shop, she also might want to get a job here. TRUMPET BLOSSOM CAFE: It is a popular restaurant for vegans or vegetarians, if that’s her thing. THE BLACK ANGEL: It is the house where Kurt Vonnegut wrote “Slaughterhouse Five,” and seems like the kind of place she might favor. RAGSTOCK: Given her quirky fashion sensibilities, she’ll probably feel at home at Ragstock, where she can find a hip mix of vintage and recycled clothing. MAIN LIBRARY: And perhaps she’ll even spend time at the Main Library, among the stacks near English lit.

More

ADVERTISEMENT

IOWA CITY, IA. — “Girls” character Hannah Horvath may have been admitted to the famed Iowa Writers’ Workshop, but don’t expect to see the star on the Iowa City campus anytime soon.

University of Iowa officials put the kibosh on a request from HBO to film “Girls” there, rankling some who promote the area’s vibrancy. They question why the decision was made and lament the loss of dollars the filming could have provided to the local economy.

Iowa City’s role in the hit show emerged Sunday in a plot twist in the season three finale, which saw the show’s main character, Hannah Horvath — played by show creator Lena Dunham — accepted to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the university.

HBO wanted to bring the show on location, but U of I officials denied the request, saying it would be disruptive. “Girls” and the U of I are connected through one of show’s writers, Sarah Heyward, who attended the workshop before moving to the West Coast to become a screenwriter.

“While we are pleased that the Iowa Writers’ Workshop is receiving national attention and that our graduate is doing well in her career, our general practice is to not allow filming, due to potential disruption to campus,” U of I spokesman Tom Moore said Thursday.

Josh Schamberger, director of the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he’s disappointed with the university’s decision.

“From a community standpoint, I think it would be tremendous for Iowa City to be featured so prominently on a very, very popular show on HBO,” he said. “My second thought was, ‘Gosh, can you imagine the economic impact of having HBO film crews staying in hotel rooms and bringing a greater awareness of Iowa as the best of the best, especially to a younger audience?’

“You can’t buy that sort of exposure.”

U of I spokesman Joe Brennan said via text message that it isn’t uncommon for schools to turn down film crews because of disruption to campus, but he would not elaborate on how U of I officials think the filming would be disruptive. Two sections of the university’s operations manual address the use of campus buildings and space, but because university officials wouldn’t elaborate on HBO’s request, it’s unclear whether a film crew on campus would violate any U of I policy.

Andrew Sherburne, co-founder of FilmScene in Iowa City, said he hopes the university will reconsider.

“High-profile opportunities like this are rare for creatives in Iowa City,” he said. “There are plenty of talented professionals and students who could benefit from a production like this coming to town, so it’s a shame.”

“Still, there are plenty of locations in Iowa City that would welcome HBO,” he said. “I encourage them to come anyway.”

It’s unclear whether “Girls” plans to visit the area to film scenes around the city.

Nancy Bird, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District, said she was “disappointed to say the least.” Bird pointed out that the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs recently hired a producer, Liz Gilman, to help promote filmmaking in the state. “It’s a real lost opportunity,” she said.

Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, said Thursday that she didn’t know what factors went into the university’s decision and hadn’t read the script.

Chang said she had an inkling the workshop might be featured in an upcoming storyline in “Girls,” but had no idea it would be so soon.

“It was a complete surprise to me that we would be part of the season cliffhanger,” she said in an email Thursday.

Chang said Hannah’s predicament — a young woman living and working in Brooklyn — is similar to many of the students who are invited to Iowa City to be part of the workshop.

“Since we’re just now recruiting our new students for next fall, I am in the process of talking with a few of them about the issue of leaving New York (or San Francisco, or Seattle) and moving to the Midwest for two years,” she said. “When I heard that Hannah had been accepted to the program, I experienced a powerful imaginative flash into the head of this new prospective student with relocation issues.

“I mentally added her the list of people to call,” Chang added. “This is probably the only time I’ll ever experience such a surreal pop culture reflection of my actual life. It’s hilarious — or, it would be, if I had the time to stop and laugh.”

A fan of the show — thanks to his wife — Schamberger said he tweeted Dunham an invite to the community when he learned her character had been accepted into theworkshop.

Schamberger said while the show targets a younger audience, many others are aware of Iowa City’s literary acclaim.

“It’s unlike any place in the country,” he said. “I think it would be cool to see the Iowa City campus and the ped mall” on the show.